Sri Vijaya Puram, 28 Sept: Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has strongly expressed concern over the gross negligence and failure of the Agriculture Department and ICAR in the Islands, which has led to widespread damage of crops, plantations, and severe distress among the farming community.
In his communication to Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah, and Union Agriculture Minister Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Mr. Ray highlighted that farmers across the Islands are facing huge losses in coconut, arecanut, banana and other fruit-bearing crops due to infestation of Rugose Spiraling Whitefly and Mealybug. Despite repeated warnings, no effective preventive or scientific control measures have been taken by the UT Administration and concerned agencies.
The MP noted that while the Prime Minister’s vision is to “double farmers’ income,” the reality in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands is completely opposite. Coconut water yield has reduced from over a litre to barely 400–500 ml, arecanut production has dropped from around 10 tons to a few hundred kilograms, and local banana varieties have almost disappeared. Tribal farmers of Nicobar district, who are entirely dependent on farming for livelihood and food security, are also severely affected.
Mr. Ray criticized the Administration for ignoring repeated representations from farmers, Panchayati Raj Institutions and even the MP himself. He alleged that the Agriculture Department has been run by non-technical officers without agricultural expertise, while CARI scientists and officials have failed to deliver results despite repeated meetings and inspections.
The MP has urged the Government of India to:
1. Depute a high-level scientific expert team from the mainland to study the ground situation and interact with farmers.
2. Immediately initiate preventive and scientific control measures against Rugose Spiraling Whitefly and Mealybug infestations.
3. Fix responsibility on Agriculture Department officials and ICAR scientists for their negligence.
4. Appoint qualified agricultural experts as Director of Agriculture and senior officers in A&N Islands.
5. Provide compensation to affected farmers and tribal communities after conducting proper surveys.
6. Arrange training and exposure visits for island farmers on modern farming practices to boost productivity and income.
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray stressed that unless urgent action is taken, the livelihoods of thousands of farmers across the Islands will collapse, defeating the Prime Minister’s vision of empowering farmers. He appealed for immediate intervention by the Government of India to save the farming community and ensure food and livelihood security in these remote islands.
